PatsPropaganda

An Independent Patriots Blog

Super Clutch: A Danny Amendola Appreciation Post

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Danny Amendola has had one of the most interesting journeys of a Patriots wide receiver. Despite not easily fitting into a Wes Welker-replacement box early on, Amendola emerged with clutch catch after clutch catch, cementing his place amongst Patriot legends. But in 2017, with Julian Edelman going down in the preseason with a torn ACL, Amendola is on pace for a career year and is only adding to his already legendary status.

In 2013 the Patriots let Wes Welker walk to Denver and signed Amendola to a five-year, $30 million contract with $10 million guaranteed. Instantly fans wondered if Amendola would be able to replace Welker’s 100 catches per year. Welker was Tom Brady‘s most reliable target for the previous five seasons and the wide receiver turnover in 2013 was worrisome. Amendola had missed 20 games in the previous two seasons and when fans smell someone who might be “injury prone” it’s hard for them to contain their groans.

Amendola instantly showed his clutch gene in his first game, the season opener in Buffalo that saw the Patriots down down 21-20 as they got the ball back for one more drive. Amendola would have four catches on the drive, including an acrobatic 10-yard catch on third-and-eight just outside of field goal range. The Pats kicked the field goal and won the game. But Amendola was injured in the game and would miss the next four weeks, giving the injury-haters plenty of fodder.

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Pats Posits: No Style Points On TNF

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It wasn’t surprising to wake up to a lot of people pissing and moaning about the style points from last night’s Thursday Night Football win by the Patriots. On an uber-short week, against an unfamiliar opponent on the road you’ll take a victory any way you can take it, especially after how apocalyptic the Patriots defense looked on Sunday.

Really, it was only the fourth quarter that anyone should have any problem with. At that point the Patriots went to sleep on both sides of the ball after actually being quite good for most of the previous three quarters. The defense gave up 214 yards while the offense only picked up 42 in the 4th. So yes, that’s something for the entire team to focus on, but let’s not throw out the rest of the night based on the final frame.

When the narrative for three miserable days was how the defense couldn’t stop a nose bleed and the offense would have to be over-relied on, things were certainly turned on their head last night.

The defense forced six punts, including five three-and-outs and two four-and-outs. It’s hard to ask much more from any defense, even more so one that was busting coverages left and right only a few days earlier. Plus, they had to overcome two Tom Brady turnovers, something none of us would’ve thought them capable of.

The offense continues to move the ball well in between the 20s, but sputtered when the game was on the line. They remain a work in progress despite exciting flashes from Cooks, Gillislee and Hogan, and a 2015 Dion Lewis sighting.

It wasn’t pretty at the end but there was plenty on both sides to build off of and I think it’s safe to say that rumors of this Patriots teams’ demise were once again premature. Here are a bunch of Posits on the third win of the season…

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Pats Get Help and Hold On vs. Bucs

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The Patriots-Buccaneers Thursday Night Football clash came down to the final play with the much-maligned Patriots defense getting the stop to preserve a 19-14 victory.

The Pats move to 3-2 with an extended break to re-evaluate how things have gone to start the season. It was a needed win and hopefully one to build off of. The defense was far better, forcing six punts but showed a lack of discipline often and still struggled to stop big plays. They were also helped by three missed field goals by Nick Folk that could’ve changed the game.

The offense moved the ball frequently, but went quiet at the end, punting twice  and amassing just 42 yards in three fourth-quarter possessions. A recovered onside kick helped set up a long field goal when the Pats got just seven yards when a first down would’ve sealed it.

Tom Brady threw for 300 yards but had two turnovers  that luckily cost the team zero points. Brandin Cooks and Mike Gillislee continue to emerge, while Danny Amendola (eight catches) came through on third down. The offense is headed in the right direction if they can get their offensive line together for 60 minutes.

Yes, there’s still much to work on, especially the crazy number of hits that Brady is taking. But a win is a win and a long break is a long break. This game was a positive step forward for this team despite some definite problems and recurring flaws.

Here’s how it went down.

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Patriots Gameplan: Week 5 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Football is already back upon us as the Patriots, donning all-white uniforms, will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football in a game that will reveal a lot about a team that was shredded on defense just four short days ago.

Simply put, by any metric, this is the worst defense Bill Belichick has put on the field since he arrived. And I say this as a Patriots uber-blogger who has focused extensively on the defense for the past 10 years. From advanced metrics like Football Outsiders’ DVOA (a personal fave) to simple things like yards- and points-per-game, the Patriots defense has been the worst in the NFL.

Now they get a stiff test on the road, facing a talented passing attack run by Jameis Winston with talented receivers Mike Evans and Desean Jackson, and a fresh-off-suspension Doug Martin, not to mention two dangerous tight ends. We’re not used to the Patriots having their backs against the wall and teetering on the edge of uncertainty, but here we are, in Week 5, wondering if this defense can be salvaged.

Tom Brady is off to one of the best starts of his career, and the fact that he’s doing it at age 40 is simply incredible. It’s unfortunate that the defense suddenly looks so lost, because if this continues they’re going to waste one of Tom Brady’s final years. While we can count on Brady to put up over 30 points almost every game, it no longer assures a win.

Still, the defense’s problems are so fundamental, I can’t help but believe they’ll steady the ship. Can they do it on a short week and on the road against a good offense? We’ll find out tonight.

Here’s the gameplan to get a win and move on to an extended 10-day break to help re-evaluate how the team can move forward.

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Film Review: Patriots vs. Panthers Defense Edition

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Alright, let’s just get this over with. I’ve seen enough breakdowns already all over the internet of just how terrible the Patriots defense was, but as always, taking a closer look at the All-22 film always reveals more than met the eye during the live broadcast watch.

As I pounded home on Patshow yesterday it’s really hard to know what the real problems on this defense are because blown coverages just make it so easy for the offense. People always look to the pass rush first and foremost but it’s hard to truly evaluate the front when receivers are running free through the secondary. Still, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the betting odds for the Patriots games are not looking good and deservedly so.

Here’s what stood out on the film review as we try to get this one in the rearview mirror as quickly as possible. Yay Thursday night football for once.

Via NFL Gamepass

 

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Patshow Live Episode 108: Panthers Recrap

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Here’s the latest episode of Patshow Live as we tear the defense a new one over their performance against the Panthers. Fitzy puppet stops by, we take a look at some of our favorite social media from the game and we break down one of the terrible defensive breakdowns from the loss. It’s all here on Patshow!

A Closer Look at Patriots’ Secondary Communication Breakdowns

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Despite the offseason speculation about the possibility of the elusive undefeated season, your 2017 New England Patriots currently sit at 2-2 after Graham Gano sent a 48-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired to give the Carolina Panthers the win last Sunday.

After the offseason addition of Stephon Gilmore, the Patriots defense was heralded by many as even better than the 2016 unit that led the NFL in points per game allowed. Despite this, the 2017 iteration of the Patriots defense is ranked dead last in the NFL in points per game, giving up 34 points on average, 18.4 more points allowed than their 2016 predecessors. They also rank last in the NFL in total yards allowed (1585) and passing yards allowed (1296), and have given up the most points through four games (128) in team history.

On Sunday, the Patriots allowed the Panthers offense, ranked 29th coming into Week 4, to put up 444 yards, which is worrisome enough, but the worst part of that stat is that it actually improved their season average, which now rests at 456.8 yards per game, also last in the league.

The silver lining to the Patriots defensive issues is that the majority of the breakdowns appear to rooted in communication issues in the secondary, with the primary culprit being the aforementioned Stephon Gilmore, who signed a five-year, 65 million dollar deal with the Patriots just months ago, 40 million of which was guaranteed.

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